EU Officials Say Britain Could Rejoin Faster Than Other Candidates

European Union officials stated that Britain could rejoin the bloc faster than other candidate countries if it chose to reverse its departure. " He added that institutional memory from the UK's previous membership and existing alignment would allow an expedited process.

Officials noted that Britain would need to accept standard entry terms, including a commitment to join the euro. One source said the EU has previously accepted a two-tier system on euro membership, pointing to Denmark, Sweden, and Poland as examples of member states outside the currency.

Another source said the UK would need to drop requests for special exemptions that previous membership allowed.

The comments come after former health secretary Wes Streeting described Britain's 2016 decision to leave the European Union as "a catastrophic mistake" and called for a new relationship with the bloc. YouGov polling last month showed 63 percent of British respondents favor closer EU ties and 55 percent support rejoining.

A source close to the EU's ambassador to the UK said the bloc is focused on completing existing agreements, including a sanitary and phytosanitary deal on food and plant trade. The same source noted that nearly ten countries are already candidate members and that no formal British request to rejoin has been made.